It’s that time of day – you know it – when you’re primed to quaff a delightful caffeinated (or not so) beverage, maybe even team it with a sweet bite to stave off the hangries – or maybe just because you feel that need to reward yourself for doing your best to continue in this grand adventure we call Life on Earth.
It’s true – a tasty break will beat out that existential angst any day (as well as quiet the feral growling of a less-than-satisfied stomach).. And West Haven boasts two cafes that can get you to that coveted level of sipping and noshing Nirvana.
Coffee Haven West, recently reopened on Campbell Avenue across from City Hall, beckons you in with its seasonally decorated windows featuring handmade jewelry (more about that later). The cafe is managed by Bridges as part of its vocational and social rehabilitation program. Bridges, a nonprofit organization serving Milford, Stratford, Orange, Woodbridge, and New Haven since 1957, strives to reintegrate those with mental health and addiction issues into meaningful work situations as part of their recovery. Although the organization serves adults, children and families, the cafe focuses on its young adult program (ages 18-25).
Danelly Sila-Suarez, program manager, says that the focus is to teach young adults the skills needed to be successful: “basic skills such as coming to work on time, wearing their uniforms, looking professional, doing inventory,” she says. Of utmost importance is customer service – how to cope with the normal challenges faced when dealing with John and Jane Q. Public. Fiscal competence is also needed in running the register and dealing with the days’ take. Coffee Haven has been a cash only establishment, but is now in the process of upgrading to accept credit cards – an imperative skill set for anyone working in retail at any level and one which will now be mastered by the cafe’s work force – as well as making it even easier for customers to make purchases.
And what can be purchased, you query? The cafe features high-end Green Mountain coffee products; there’s always decaf available as well as various syrups and other coffee “fixins”. Tazo tea (from Earl Grey to chai to lemon loaf) is proffered, as well as Twinings (English breakfast, green etc.). The cafe has a brand spanking new espresso machine, so you won’t have to forego your espressos, cappuccinos, or latte. And these are all yours at a price cheaper than any coffee chain (the orange-and-pink place and the green-and-white establishment, we’re looking at you).
Ah, but that’s not all. The cafe is the only place on this side of Fairfield County where you can buy baked goods from Leisha’s Bakeria, a local (Bridgeport) bakery, delivered fresh. Leisha has won the “Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in Connecticut” award several times, and you can bet those beauties are under glass here just begging you to have one (or two, maybe three). There are peanut butter cookies that melt in your mouth (you would never guess that they are gluten free). There are apple turnovers, cupcakes (red velvet, vanilla, chocolate), banana nut and blueberry muffins. Silva mentions that the banana nut muffins are a particular favorite.
“One particular customer had one every day,” Silva smiles.
Of course, one other reason why customers become regulars is the added bonus – one which Silva says is the big thing for many – free Wi-Fi. The banana nut-loving customer would “stay here for three hours with a laptop doing her work,” Silva states.
A true cafe, there’s no rush to up and leave. “People appreciate the fact they can stay as long as they want,” Silva continues. There’s also a big screen television, magazines, games like UNO and Connect Four (and WestHavenopoly of course), and of course Smart Ass for those edgy denizens of Gen Z. There are free books. And – remember that jewelry in the window? There are crafts available for purchase. The inventory varies, depending upon what piques the artisanal talents of the current Bridges population. They are paid to produce the crafts, which are then sold at wonderfully affordable prices in the shop. There is fabric work, photography, and jewelry to be had right now. Check out the earrings, bracelets and necklaces in the shop window and in the cases in the cafe – there’s something for everyone.
Silva says that customers like the fact that “it’s not fast food, it’s quiet, we have friendly staff, there’s no hovering…we are welcoming.” Like so many other favorite spots in town, Coffee Haven keeps people coming because of the warm and welcoming atmosphere and the indisputable fact that customers become friends on a first-name basis.
“It’s a bond that customers form with us,” says Silva. “I love to look at our cafe because it’s so cozy and inviting.”
Finally, it’s important to remember that when you enjoy the luscious baked goods, get your caffeine (or decaf) fix, purchase a handmade item for yourself or as a gift…you are also supporting the Bridges mission and helping others to help themselves. According to program manager Silva, “the focus [of the program] is for them to work at competitive employment so they’ll be fully independent.” As of now, almost half (45%) of the young adult clients have moved on to full employment in the competitive workforce. That’s a result everyone can be proud of – and maybe celebrate with a latte and a cupcake.
Meanwhile, a couple of miles away topping Police Station Hill on Sawmill Road, you can order a Great White. Or down a Plankton, Imbibe a Lazy River, Or a Shady Beach, a Lake Street, a Sawmill. Or perhaps a Mermaid’s Tail, a Stardust, or a Lazy River whet your beverage appetite.
Westies Nutrition is the place where these delicious mixtures, as well as many others, can be yours. The cafe, which will celebrate its fourth anniversary next month, opened a few months before the world shut down – and made it through very successfully, a tribute to the panache and community spirit of its owners, Amanda Forst and Mandy Hutchinson.
The menu features coffees, smoothies and tea, all packed with nutritional benefits. The smoothies are meals in disguise, boasting the required daily amount of nutrients — 21 vitamins and minerals, and 24 grams of protein – all for fewer than 250 calories. All teas are green tea-based and contain the proper amount of stimulating guarana extract for you – for a slight boost or more. Vitamin B12 is a popular ingredient as well as acai, and, if desired, you can add collagen, probiotics, protein or, as Forst notes the teachers are all doing right now, the immunty boost. All sweetening is done with stevia, and the guarana provides a clean energy boost with none of the jitters or crash of traditional caffeine (pink-and-orange and green-and-white spots, we’re once again glancing in your general direction).
Forst, who hails from Wethersfield, lived in Los Angeles for seven years, where these sorts of shops are commonplace. Noting that she struggled with her weight, Forst lost 27 lb. taking advantage of the nutritional drinks and when she returned to the Nutmeg State, wanted to open such a shop here. Mandy, a born and bred Westie, came into the frame and, as she explains it, “caught the vision.”
“This town poured so much into me that I knew this would be the perfect place to give back…this place raised me,” Hutchinson says, joyfully. “The customers are our extended family.”
“We’re West Haven’s Cheers,” adds Forst. “Everybody knows your name…we know about the customers and care about them, their kids, their kids’ T-Ball games…”
The most popular smoothie is the White Chocolate Reese’s: “like a healthy peanut butter cup, in a cup,” laughs Hutchinson. As for the most popular item? It’s not on the menu, but a very well-known secret: the Black Widow. Originally begun just for the Halloween season, this berry-based tea proved so popular it’s now available year-round.
“People drive from far away to get the Black, Widow,” Frost says, “It’s a special house blend.”
She estimates that as much as 80% of the tea orders are Black Widow requests, adding with a smile that “I think the West Haven Police Department runs on Black Widows!”
Frost and Hutchinson, two moms with a toddler each, understand what it’s like for families in today’s stressful climate. They have kids’ size drinks (from the non-acai/caffeine selections) and they also anticipate the financial stressors of today. “We want to give the most value for your dollar…we don’t take you spending your money for granted,” Forst says. “We’re in the same economy as everyone else.”
The ladies also highly value their community involvement. They got through Covid very successfully – a brand new business – and never let up on it from the beginning, donating meals to nurses in New York and even toilet paper to Those Without. Their community spirit continues apace. “We do about two fundraisers a month,” says Forst. UNH, the West Haven High School sports teams, local organizations such as the Beach Box, and causes like breast cancer and Alzheimer’s are just a very few of the happy recipients to which Westies has extended its largesse. They have donated more than funds, too – free tea to the sports teams, for example. And their cafe is always available for a space for hosting community events.
Forst and Hutchinson say that they think of their business as a “grab and go” place, but as the sign over the bar exhorts visitors to “come in…fill your cup…stay awhile”. people often linger…at the bar on the tall stools, or in one of the comfy sofas.
“We pride ourselves on the experience of the customer,” Forst says. “We strive to be the lighthouse in the community…everything is positive…a true, authentic connection with our customers.” As they speak, a fellow walks in and they greet him by name as he greets them, bemoans the humidity and goes to get four large beverages.
“People tell us, ‘I leave, and I feel so much better’,” Forst continues.
If you look at the bottom of your cup at Westies, you’ll see that every one is hand-inscribed with the word “love” – Forst and Hutchinson’s way of sending good vibrations. “Our mission,” Forst says, “Is to remind people that they matter.”
Westies is open daily (every day but Christmas Day) – 7-5 Monday through Friday, 9-4 Saturdays and 10-2 Sundays.